


Fireworks

by a_million_stars



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Internalized Homophobia, Period-Typical Homophobia, Sleepovers, f/f - Freeform, just cute lesbian shit because that’s who i am
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-26 18:24:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21378547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_million_stars/pseuds/a_million_stars
Summary: “Is Mike a good kisser?”or a different ending to Max and El’s conversation during their sleepover. consists of first (real) kisses, cute ladies in love, and just happy times with a wee bit of angst because this is the 80s after all
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Maxine "Max" Mayfield & Lucas Sinclair
Comments: 8
Kudos: 106





	Fireworks

There was no way that this was actually happening. Max had spent the last six months trying to get El to say a literal word to her, and nothing. El once said hi, but only because she thought she was Dustin. El and Max’s relationship was pure bullshit, and that was a fact.

Now El was lying on her bed, giggling and gossiping like the two of them had known each other forever.

It was the first time there had ever been a girl in Max’s room. Since she moved to Hawkins she hadn’t had a single friend who was a girl. Even her mom would rarely come in. 

To be honest it was the first time almost anyone had been in there. Lucas had come once or twice, but only to help Max sneak out. She never dared let the others in. She didn’t know what Neil would do to them, or to her.

But here was El. Her eyes were sparkling, and Max thought she could stare at them forever and be happy. She hummed along to some pop song Max had put on, dancing sillily.

The two of them were definitely acting like total dumbasses. Max had never been high before, but this is what she thought it would be like. But she was high on laughter, high on happiness, high on El. It wasn’t fair that one girl could be so pretty.

She was a total perv. All she could stare at was El, and the way her hair grazed her shoulders when she talked. The way that her breath hitches when she laughed, the way she chewed on her lip when she was thinking of what to say. It was adorable.

It was disgusting. She had finally made a friend, and she couldn’t keep it in her pants. She was a predator, she was a fucking dyke staring at the beautiful, happy, straight girl. Who was dating one of her best friends. Who also happened to be one of her boyfriends friends. The situation was complicated, and the only thing that came out clearly was that Max was in the wrong.

El shifted in bed, rolling onto her side, giggling madly. Max joine

“Is Mike a good kisser?” Max giggled, hugging her pillow close to her stomach. She almost felt high on laughter, she was with El Hopper. El fucking Hopper.

She didn’t really know why she asked the question. That was a lie. She knew exactly why. She knew from the first day she saw her, decked out all punk rock. She knew the moment she first kissed Lucas. She knew her whole life if she was honest. And she was never honest.

“I dont know.” El confessed, her eyes bright and cheeks red. Max consciously looked away from them, shutting her eyes so she wouldn’t stare because goddamn it that girl was so damn beautiful.

She felt like a creep. She always did when she was around El. Or any girl to be honest. She couldn’t even look the girl that Steve worked with in the eye without feeling disgusted with herself. 

Here was this sweet, naïve girl who had no idea she needed to keep her guard up around Max. Who thought they were two girlfriends just hanging out. El called them girlfriends, the same way that those asshole priss girls talked about their friends. And it hurt so fucking bad.

El’s voice was bubbly. “He’s my first boyfriend. I’ve never kissed anyone else.” 

Max felt herself deflate a little bit. She wasn’t sure why, there wasn’t a good answer to the question. The fact that she had kissed Mike at all was like a stab in the heart. And it made no sense. It wasn’t her right to be upset that this girl kissed her boyfriend.

El looked at Max curiously. She tilted her head slightly and considered. “You’re sad. Is Lucas not a good kisser?”

Max grinned, and clutched her pillow even tighter. “No.” Her voice came out too breathy, and she knew it was mean to say that about her boyfriend, especially because it wasn’t true. Lucas kissed just fine, but it didn’t do anything for her. It wasn’t Lucas’s fault he was dating a lesbian.

She hated that word. She hated how no matter how many times she pressed her lips with boys, there were no fireworks. She hated how she longed for soft lips and smooth skin brushing against her, and how she longed for long hair tickling her skin. It was disgusting. 

El wrinkled her nose. It was adorable. Max internally smacked herself. It was impossible to not be overwhelmed around her. Just looking into El’s eyes was enough to make her dizzy. Having an actual conversation, in Max’s bed, about kissing was enough to make her brain short circuit.

“Have you kissed anyone else?” El asked innocently, brushing her hair behind her ear. It was so short that it popped back out immidiandly, curling a little. It was cute.

Unable to speak, Max shook her head no. El crawled over to her, and the two of them were so close that Max could smell El’s perfume. It was flowery. Max decided that she didn’t hate flowers anymore.

“Then we don’t know if he’s any good. Not either of us.” El pursed her lips. “Can I tell you something?” She looked at Max questioningly, her eyes almost pleading. Max was so overwhelmed with El that she couldn’t even make her mouth work, so she just nodded.

“I don’t know if I like Mike very much. He is loud and sings badly. You sing very well.” El considered for a second. “You’re loud, but nice loud. Mike is- I don’t know. He’s all I’ve ever known, and I want to know more.”

Max leaned back a little bit. She couldn’t form together a thought with the two of them so close together. El compared her to Mike. Her boyfriend. And she was pretty sure that El said she was better then him. She couldn’t think. 

“It’s okay to want more.” Max practically whispered. She knew she was a bad friend. She should tell El that it was normal to question things, and that Mike was a good guy. That the two of them should talk and work it out. 

But she wasn’t that good of a friend. She was sitting here betraying Mike, betraying Lucas. Her best friend and boyfriend, the person who looked out for her when no one else did.

She loved Lucas. She really did. She loved the way he laughed, and how he wasn’t afraid to fight her on everything and everything. She loved how they would always race each other to Steve’s car and argue over who won, even though it was obvious.

She loved him. But not in the right way. She knew that he knew. Their relationship had been a lost cause for a long time. But no matter how many times she broke up with him he managed to convince her that he could do better, that he would be better.

He didn’t need to be better. At this point he knew the truth. Not the whole truth, but the fact that the two of them weren’t right for each other. But one word from Lucas and Max ran back. Ran back to familiarity and safety with the guy she loved. TV and video games, listening to crappy music and trying to learn to cook.

Because Lucas was good. She clung to him, to the fact that maybe he could help her, fix her, make her normal. She needed to be normal.

She was a terrible girlfriend. She was a terrible friend. She was betraying the party with every thought she had, with every word she spoke. She was bad.

Because she wanted her. She wanted to hear El say that she was done with Mike for real, because every time Max saw the two of them kiss she wanted to die a little bit.

El and Mike together was a disaster. Worse then Max and Lucas. Everyone knew it.

Mike left everyone for her. He practically cut ties with the party, even Will, his best friend for life. He was only with them when El was busy. He wasn’t the leader anymore. Because everything was about El. Max got the obsession with her better then anyone. He was done with DnD and video games, because El didn’t like them. All he did was kiss her and mope around when she wasn’t there. He was a shadow.

El already had so little. A terrible childhood, barely any family, just Hopper, Dustin, Lucas, and Mike. So she clung to them

At first she wanted to hang out with Dustin and Lucas all the time. They were her first friends. But then it was just Mike. Her boyfriend before she even knew what that meant. Her first kiss, even though she had no clue what that meant.

She didn’t blame El for clinging to Mike. But she was even losing Hopper for him. It was getting ridiculous.

She wanted them to break up so bad. She was probably overplaying the whole “boyfriends suck” thing, but she couldn’t help it. El was perfect. She deserved so much more then what she had. She shouldn’t have to hang out with Mike all the time, with his disgusting stank and harsh kisses. She deserved soft smiles and cuddling and holding hands. That was definitely the bad part of her.

Max definitely didn’t deserve El. She was dirty for even thinking about her that way. Because here El was, leaning into her without even having a clue that Max wasn’t looking at her like a friend. And that was disgusting.

Max couldn’t read the expression on El’s face. She was smiling, but not the happy way. It didn’t make sense. She was desperate and regal at the same moment, formal and scared.

El breathed deeply. “I do want more. I want to kiss other people and do other things.” 

Max’s voice broke a little bit. This was heartbreak. El wanted to kiss other people. It was so good, because that meant it might be over with Mike. But it still meant Max would never have a chance. She forced a smile. “That’s- that’s really good El.”

El sat up a little more and stared directly into Max’s eyes. Her stare was so intense that Max wanted to look away and let go, but she couldn’t move. She felt like the other girl could read her mind.

“I want more Max.” She was frozen still. El looked at her longer, and leaned in so close their foreheads were touching. Max could smell her strawberry chapstick. She thought she might have an aneurism. 

She should lean away that’s what a good girl would do, but she just couldn’t. She needed to be near her right now.

“Do you want more?” El tilted her head, and Max nodded slowly, not even able to blink. All she could feel was El’s hand on her thigh and El’s hair brushed against her face. Before she could think the other girl separated the distance between them.

Their lips connected, and Max pretty much blacked out. El was kissing her. There was the most beautiful girl in the world’s next to her, touching her, running her hands through her hair.

It was ackward. The pillow got in the way, their noses bumped, and Max fell backwards so suddently that their lips barely brushed. But that was it. That was the fireworks.

She was soft where Lucas was hard. She was gentle and kind, and tasted like bubble gum. It was perfect.

She could hear Neil screaming in her mind. This was wrong wrong wrong. Everything about her was wrong. She was a freak, a pervert, a faggot.

But her body disagreed. She was reeling; she had never been happy like this in her life. 

This was right, right, right. She could feel El’s heartbeat matching the same rhythm as hers, and she closed her eyes happily. It was loud enough to drown out Neil’s angry screams.

Their hands found each other’s. When El finally pulled away, Max could barely breath. El looked down at her, concerned.

“Are you okay Max?” Max nodded dumbly. El’s hands were sweaty, but she didn’t care. Neil yelled some more, and she tried to block it out.

Faggot.

“I like you.” Max choked out, half expecting El to push her away and never speak to her again. But the girl just smiled softly. God she loved her smile. She had remarkably straight teeth. She internally slapped herself for thinking about her teeth in the middle of one of the most important moments of her life.

“Good.” El paused, and her cheeks were flushed. “I like you a lot.”

Faggot.

Max could have died right there. She liked her. El liked her. Fucking El Hopper liked her.

“Good, I like you a lot too.” Max stuttered out, and El laughed.

“You already told me Maxie.” She squeezed her hand, and Max was pretty sure this was what it felt like to have a heart attack. She called her Maxie. She liked her. She fucking liked her. A girl had just kissed her and smiled. Not just any girl. El fucking Hopper.

“I know I already said that.” Max’s brain was completely frozen. She couldn’t think of literally anything to say that made sense, besides telling El she loved her which seemed like a bad choice.

El looked at her expectantly, smiling sweetly. That girl could stab her in the heart and she would thank her. 

“Yeah, I uh, like you a lot. Shit okay, I already said that.” Max paused, deeply embarrassed, getting lost in El’s eyes. She was so dazed that she could barely even remember what a word was. “You’re like, a really cool lady. Yeah, uh, I think you’re cool. Did I mention you’re cool?” She was the dumbest person alive. She wouldn’t date herself. 

El bit her lip, barely concealing a grin. “Shut up and kiss me.”

“Yeah okay.” This time Max leaned in, and when their lips connected she was still smiling.

“You’re perfect.” Max muttered, her lips grazing El’s just speaking the words.

El brushed her fingers through Max’s hair, pushing through all the knots. Their lips separated, and panting Max rested their foreheads together. 

She shut her eyes and rested. This was bliss. This was the first time she landed a jump on her board, this was the time she got on the Dig Dig leaderboard, this was walking on the beach of California. This was all of those combined and multiplied by infinity.

She opened her eyes and looked into El’s. The other girl grinned mischievously. “You’re a much better kisser the Mike.”

Max laughed, happier then she had ever felt before. When El started giggling it was heaven. Her voice was so clear and pure that it took Max’s breath away.

“Oh yeah?” Max asked, smiling madly.

“Oh yeah.” El tilted her head, considering. “Actually-“ She hesitated, and Max but her lip, trying to contain her smile. This was her dream girl. “I’m not sure. I think we’ll have to try again and test out the theory.”

“Shut up you nerd.” Max teased, and El’s eyes sparkled. Before she could form a coherent thought she pressed her body into El’s.

Max couldn’t help but grin as they kissed, and wanted to keep her eyes open just so she could stare at El a little longer. Max could live kissing her. 

She closed her eyes and sighed. El squeezed her hand, and Max pulled away, smiling madly.

“So what does this mean?” Max asked carefully. She was terrified El would laugh and tell her it was nothing. That they were just fucking around and tomorrow was date night with Mike.

“It means that Mike has to go. Lucas too.” El decided, and Max smiled so widely it hurt.

“I can arrange that.” She agreed, and decided she was a terrible person for not being more upset about breaking up two relationships. But god, she would do anything to be with El, even for a day

“We should do that a lot more.” El smiled cheekily at her, and Max giggled.

“Yeah, I can make that happen.” Her entire being wanted to kiss her that second. But Neil’s voice held her back. She loosened her grip on El’s hand a little.

“I just want to spend time with you.” El was so sweet Max wanted to cry. But she pulled away when El started to lean in again.

She wanted to scream at herself. Here was a girl here, who liked her, who wanted to kiss her, but she was too pussy to even look her in the eye. It was too wrong. He would be so mad. She was so gross.

“You’re upset.” El noticed, and Max cracked a smile. El was too observant for her own good. Being raised by Hopper and Joyce was the worst combination in making a problem solving kid.

“I’m just thinking.” Max replied sadly.

“Was it not good?” El asked, and her voice was so scared that Max wanted to pull her close and never let go. “Do you not want to be with me?”

“No!” Max grabbed El’s hand and held it in front of her. “No El, I want to be with you more then anything. But things are complicated with girls. It’s not like with boys.”

“Yeah, because girls are prettier.” El replied, smiling down at their hands. 

“You’re right, girls are definitely prettier. But that’s not it.” Max paused, not sure how to phrase this.

She hasn’t really considered the fact that El didn’t get the gay thing. She had been raised in the lab after all, and it wasn’t like she had any exposure in Hawkins. If people knew you were gay you would probably be dead.

“People don’t like when two girls are together, or when two boys are. It’s bad. I’m bad.”

“Why is it bad?”

“I-“ Max didn’t know. She honestly couldn’t believe it had never occurred to her that there wasn’t a reason why. “It just is, okay? It’s unnatural.”

El still looked confused. “But I like you. And you like me. Just like with me and Mike.”

“It’s not the same.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know!” Max buried her head in her hands. El looked so startled that Max softened her voice to try and explain. “It’s just, a lot of people out there have problems with people like us. Especially my Stepdad. So it’s hard.”

“So we shouldn’t be together?” Max leaned against El, resting her head in the others girls lap so they could look at each other. Max interlaced their fingers, sighing. It was so natural, a million times better then when she did it with Luacs. 

Neil screamed in her ear, but she pushed him away. There was no way this was anything but right. This was perfect. Neil was dumb. She looked up at El, her eyes still searching for answers.

“Oh hell no.” Max grinned. “I’m going to date you so hard that Mike is going to cry.” El cracked a smile, and stroked her hair. 

“Good. Because you’re a cool lady too.” Max smiled so wide that she might have pulled a muscle. 

“I enjoy you a lot El Hopper.” Max picked herself up and kissed her check.

“It tickles you asshole!” El yelped, hitting her. Max bit her lip, and without thinking started tickling her stomach, giggling madly 

“Fuck you!” El screeched, slithering away. The two of them tustled, hitting way lighter then Max ever had before. With Lucas it was full throttle. But the idea of hurting El destroyed her.

El finally got away, clinging onto Max’s shirt. “I can’t believe it took me so long to talk to you.”

Max felt her laughter fade, and her smile started to melt. She hated that they knew each other so long and never did anything. El seemed to notice that she was upset, and leaned up against her.

“I’m sorry. I was stupid, and just listening to everything Mike says.” El smiled. “Blah blah blah blah.” She exaggerated it so much that Max had to laugh. She was always down to roast Mike, even if the two of them were friends.

“It’s fine.” Max did her best to say it with conviction. She really wasn’t mad anymore. It sucked in the moment, but now she couldn’t be mad at El for anything.

“I’m still sorry.”

Max smiled mischievously. “I know one way you could make it up to me..” She trailed off and El grabbed her hand formally.

“Maxine I don’t know your middle name Mayfield, will you be my girlfriend?” 

In that moment her entire world brightened. This was real. Not just kissing, or joking. She really liked her.

“Absolutely I will Ellie Jane Hopper.” El grinned widely at that.

“This is the best day of my life.” El decided, and Max bit her lip.

“Oh really? I’m not sure for me. Maybe you could help convince me?” Max wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and El hit her.

“Shut the fuck up.” Before Max could respond they were kissing again. 

As far as Max was concerned, they could never stop. Kissing the most beautiful girl in the universe was all she ever really needed. It was fireworks.

**Author's Note:**

> i’m such a sucker for girls in love and i just want them to be together?? anyways please comment if you have time because i really want to know what i can do better to do these ladies justice. thank you!


End file.
